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1. Bizzy is a place I can get lost in. This site assists in recommendations based on your favorite restaurants, shopping and entertainment. Easy to use interface and connectability to Facebook makes inputting your favorites addicting.

Mint Data

2. I know Mint isn’t a new site, but have you check out the trends in your location with Mint Data? I was very curious to see on average Jacksonvillians spend $110 on purchases and Five Guys is one of the most frequented restaurants. Even if you aren’t data junkie like me, you may be interested in other areas when traveling.

Fast Flip from Google Labs

3. Most of us are constantly looking for some free time, Google Labs is here to help with Fast Flip. A visual overview of headlines, popular news stories and even topic news overviews helps get you news quickly while keeping it interesting.

Zeer

4. Zeer helps you find nutritional information on packaged products. With an extensive database, it’s easy to find gluten information as well as ingredients.

1. Wordmark.it helps you decided on a font choice. If you’ve ever wanted to compare typefaces side-by-side, this is the website for you! Easy to use and the possibilities are based on the fonts already on your computer. Happy hunting!

Sparked.com

2. Sparked is a fantastic idea for non-profits and creative people who have a little bit of free time to join forces. Simply select your interests and your skills, then you are given challenges to complete for non-profits. Brilliant!

Parliament of Owls Design

3. Parliament of Owls Design, not only to I lovingly admire their name, I also really dig their designs. Based in Brooklyn, they describe their designs as “old-school with a modern twist, stunningly crafted and surprisingly insightful.” I tend to agree with them. Follow them on Twitter!

Absurd Overheard

4. Absurd Overheard is pure genius! I wish I would have thought of this one myself, but I definitely don’t have the mad skills that CMYKaren has. Karen illustrates absurd comments and tweets into some great art. I absolutely love her work and this idea!Continue reading →

1. Save the words is a fun little site about well.. words! The fun part is adopting a word. Mine for today is sinapistic (consisting of mustard). Bonus: registration is simple.

2. Out of Print Clothing brings classic books to life again with awesome tees! I’d love this To Kill A Mockingbird one!

3. Quora, word is spreading fast about this social media site. Ask a question, any question and give answers to questions that have been asked already on topics you’re interested in. I have a feeling this site will take up a lot of my time in the near future.

4. Offerpop debuted this week as a way to engage fans on Facebook and Twitter with unique contests and engagement ideas. If you have fewer than 500 fans or followers, this product is free. Its a great way to get your fans involved in connecting. Continue reading →

1. Social Mention gives users a way to research blogs, twitter, mainstream news and video, to name a few, all in one swoop. One of the most powerful free online tools will give users a vast look at mentions across the web. Top keywords, users and sentiment are among some of the useful data this search engine pulls. Definitely worth a look for initial research if you don’t want to spend top dollar on Radian 6.

2. Hootsuite is a social media management system. This is has all the bells and whistles such as scheduling posts for Facebook and Twitter, keyword searches, Google analytics and url shortners (to name a few). This product recently switched to a paid version for users that are more than casually into social media. Bonus: I love its owl mascot!

3. Klout is fast becoming the currency of social media. I’ve heard rumors about Vegas clubs using Klout scores to determine eligibility for entrance. In any case, the data received from this site is greatly useful for gauging your current state in social media from Twitter to Facebook and even LinkedIn. I also enjoy the suggested follows for Twitter because they offer a better description of the tweeters than their Twitter bios do.

4. Netvibes helps users compile as much or as little data as possible into one dashboard. Have all your newsfeeds, social platforms and searches in one place that is completely customizable and free!Continue reading →

Recently, Facebook made an genius announcement about their Facebook Places feature. It will now included Deals for local business owners. Similar in concept to how Foursquare business owners can reward user check-ins with specials, Deals will allow business owners to reward Facebook Places user check-ins. Though an excellent way to increase exposure of a business’s Facebook Page, a merge of the Facebook Place and the Facebook Page must occur.

Pros of Merging your Place with your Page:
• Reward customers who check-in to your Place
• Increase number of check-ins due to exposure of larger fan base
• Map of your business location appears at the top of your Facebook Page
• Show your business’s charitable side by using the Charity Deal
• Increase awareness of Facebook Page by using Friend Deal
• Giving thanks to frequent customers by providing a Loyalty Deal

Cons of Merging your Place with your Page:• Inability to send non-fans to custom landing tabs
• Navigation for tabs is moved from the top to the side of your Page
• It seems Facebook hasn’t gotten all the kinks worked out. Pages are loading below the fold (as seen below).
• The font is slightly smaller
• The icons for posting on the Wall have changed. The classic “What’s on your mind?” comment box isn’t there unless you click the new icons first.

If you’ve decided to make a Deal, watch this video from Facebook on the how-to’s. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this new announcement. If you have any other Pros or Cons to add, that would be helpful as well.

This month marks two years since I’ve been doing Social Media professionally. In this short time, a lot has changed, but what remains the same is the underlying principal of Social Media: The customer wants your attention. They want to feel you are listening when they tweet about their pizza showing up cold or the experience they had in your store. As a brand ambassador, making a customer feel special is my number one goal.

For any company looking to make a move into the Social Media realm (which you should be doing), listen to your customers. Be human, respond to them.Continue reading →

1. Just in time for Halloween! Make me a zombie! Its quick and easy and of course, has the social plug-ins so you can share with your friends!

2. Wanderfly is the best designed travel site I’ve seen in a long time. Select your location, then price range and a couple of interests such as culture, romance, party and whoosh away you go finding a great destination!
3. Want to make a poster of your Facebook friends? Check out Printing Facebook for a $20, 20″x40″ print.

4. Visit Involver for nine FREE Facebook Apps! Sometimes Facebook is a little messy when it comes to searching for apps to add to a Facebook Page, but Involver is making it easy.Continue reading →